BAGHDAD—As the United
Nations Security Council continues its "open debate" on Iraq, an
influential member of Iraq's governing Ba'ath Party has told Iraqjournal.org
that Baghdad will not accept the Bush administration's draft resolution,
characterizing it as a virtual occupation agreement.

"This Iraq resolution was definitely written not to be implemented,"
said Dr. Abdul Rezak Al Hashimi, a former federal minister. "The
intention of the American administration is to issue a resolution
Iraq cannot comply with, so bombs and rockets start to come. That's
what they are planning."

"When they [the U.S.] decide to do it,
they will do it, and no international community, no public opinion
can do anything about it." said Dr. Abdul Rezak Al Hashimi,
a former federal minister.

The resolution calls for an armed security force to accompany weapons
inspectors should they return to Iraq "to protect them." It also reserves
the right to impose additional "no-fly/no-drive zones, exclusion zones,
and/or ground and air transit corridors, (which shall be enforced
by UN security forces or by member states)." Several sections of the
resolution provide authorization for Washington to send in its own
operatives, outside of the UN weapons inspection framework, with carte
blanche rights to go anywhere they choose. Iraq says this could provide
the justification for Washington to openly send in spies to develop
target lists for future attacks on the country, as the Clinton administration
did covertly in 1998.

The draft resolution says that if Iraq refuses to "comply fully" with
these demands, that "all necessary means" can be used to "restore
international peace and security."

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council conducted its first day of open
debate on Iraq, initiated by the 130-nation "Non-aligned Movement,"
the majority of whose members oppose any attack on Iraq.

"[The US] might attack tomorrow, they might attack two weeks
from now, three months from now, two months from now, a year from
now," Hashimi said. "When they decide to do it, they will do it, and
no international community, no public opinion can do anything about
it."

The session at the UN began as President Bush signed into law the
blank check resolution he was granted by the US Congress to unilaterally
attack Iraq. Hashimi said the reasons given by the Bush administration
for war are baseless, saying if Bush had evidence it would have already
been seen "on every television in the world."

Hashimi said that Baghdad is working all possible diplomatic angles,
but that if US forces attempt to invade Iraq, "it will be worse than
Vietnam:"

"Iraq is a surviving nation, for thousands of years," he said.
"It's going to continue to survive. The Mongols destroyed Baghdad
600 years ago and you are in Baghdad now. The Americans tried to destroy
Baghdad 12 years ago and you are in Baghdad now, as lively as you
are seeing it. I can tell you for sure that Iraqis will never give
up. Because if they give up they have a lot to lose and that is Iraq."

------------Jeremy
Scahill is an independent journalist, who reports for the nationally
syndicated Radio and TV show Democracy Now! He is currently based
in Baghdad, Iraq, where he and filmmaker Jacquie
Soohen are coordinating Iraqjournal.org,
the only website providing regular independent reporting from the
ground in Baghdad.

Free for use by non-profit groups. Commercial media outlets, please contact
the content coordinator at webmaster@iraqjournal.org.
All users are requested to credit "IraqJournal.org" in broadcast
or print.These reports are not edited or censored by any government.